Nemanja Ličanin: Euro Cup Stronger than Ever, Šabac Showed Its True Face When Things Were Tough

Three Serbian male clubs will "winter" in Europe this season.

In addition to Novi Beograd and Radnički, who were guaranteed to continue playing in Europe in the second half of the season simply by participating in the Champions League, Šabac Eliksir joined last week.

The inhabitants of Šabac qualified for the Euro Cup round of 16 after a long journey. They opened the season in the Champions League qualifiers at a tournament in Spain. They defeated Ortigia from Italy and Pays d'Aix from France, but in the decisive match for the first place and qualification to the Champions League, they lost to the home team of Sabadell.

They then proceeded to the Euro Cup qualifiers in Šabac, where the hosts defeated all four opponents (Strasbourg, Dinamo Bucharest, OSC Budapest, and OSC Potsdam), advancing to the group stage. They accumulated 12 points in six matches in Group D and, as runners-up behind Barcelona, and ahead of Panathinaikos and Honved, progressed to the round of 16. They sealed their spot in the round of 16 on Thursday with a victory over Panathinaikos 10-8.

At the Beginning of the Season, We Didn't Know What to Expect

Analyzing his team's performance in the current season so far, Nemanja Ličanin, the coach of Šabac, said in an interview for UVTS website:

At the beginning of the season, we didn't know what to expect. We have a young team, rejuvenated compared to the previous season. Most of our players have not had experience with the demanding schedule we have this season. We have a lot of travels because besides European matches, there is also the Regional League, which after a long time is played with a double round-robin points system. Almost all Regional League matches require bus travel for several hundred kilometers. The challenging circumstances are not only the tiring travels, but also the fact that we lose training sessions because of them, which are especially important for a young team.

Such a rhythm has also influenced us to deliver some performances on some matches well below our potential, like the duels against Red Star in Belgrade and Primorac in Kotor, which were played a few days after European matches.

In the group stage of the Euro Cup, Šabac opened with a victory over Honved 12-8 in front of their home crowd, followed by two heavy defeats away, to Barcelona (9-14) and Panathinaikos (5-12). It seemed that reaching the round of 16 would be a difficult task

“Although the defeat in Athens was more decisive than the previous one, the match against Barcelona was an alarm and a warning sign. Because, in Barcelona, we had almost everything under control for almost three quarters. In the middle of the third quarter, we were leading 7-4, but then in the final eight minutes, we didn't look like ourselves.

Two weeks later, we were defeated in Athens, but our game was not as bad as the score shows. Simply, the shots weren't going in, and we were not lucky. However, after Athens, it was clear that home victories would not be enough for us to reach the round of 16.”

Returning to Good Form in Budapest

The series of away matches continued in Budapest. In the fourth round, Šabac faced Honved. For both teams, it was a "do or die" match.

At that moment, everything was still open. All four teams had a chance to advance, even Honved, despite not having won a single point until then. We started very poorly. In the first quarter, we were losing 3-0 and 4-1. After a bad start, we imposed our rhythm and achieved an important triumph - 12-10. I am pleased that the team managed to rise after the defeat and show its true face when things were tough, in a match where we could not afford to make mistakes.”

The path to the round of 16 was still long. Šabac made another significant step forward at home by avenging the previously unbeaten Barcelona (12-10) and putting themselves in a very good position.

Before the last match of the group stage against Panathinaikos in the city on the Sava River, they were tied in points with the Greek club. Any victory would lead Šabac to second place, and they didn't have to make up a seven-goal deficit from Athens.

As the match began, it seemed that Šabac could also avenge Panathinaikos with a more decisive victory than seven goals. They led 6-1 after the first quarter, 8-3 at halftime. However, after a three-minute break, the match took a different turn. Before the last quarter, the scoreboard read 8-7

“The guys entered the match seriously; its great importance did not deter them. If that weren’t the case, we wouldn’t have been leading 6-1 after the first eight minutes. I believe that the significant lead relaxed the team. We allowed the Panathinaikos players to dictate their rhythm to us. They play slower than us. We started to lose confidence, especially when we missed a big chance to go 9-5 in the middle of the third quarter and practically seal the match. It is very difficult to regain confidence in such situations. However, we overcame the crisis in time and arrived at a 10-8 victory, thanks in part to the great support of the audience, which gave us the boost in crucial moments.

Šabac is now one step away from repeating the club's greatest European success in history. Two seasons ago, they reached the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by Vasas, who later won the trophy.

“By reaching the round of 16, we have repeated the result achieved two years ago, as we are again among the top eight clubs in the Euro Cup. The competition format was changed last year, and the remaining eight participants in the next stage are the clubs eliminated from the Champions League. We can be satisfied with the current part of the season, but we will strive to go as far as possible.”

Strongest Euro Cup Ever: Elite Teams with Excellent Squads

Evaluating the quality of this year's Euro Cup, Ličanin said:

“I believe that this season the Euro Cup is more competitive than ever, both in terms of the participating club names, their traditions, and their current squads. There is Pro Reko, which has retained an excellent team despite the departure of several players, as well as the significantly reinforced Mladost, perennially strong Brescia, Jug, the improving BVSC, Barcelona, etc.

Several very quality teams did not make it to the top eight, such as Szolnok and Honved, which are not at the level they once were but are playing very well, as shown by their results in Europe and in Hungary. None of the four Greek clubs made it past the group stage, including Vouliagmeni, the 2023 Champions League bronze medalist.

The round of 16 will also see the addition of eight clubs from the Champions League, which have top players in their ranks.”

The draw for the Euro Cup round of 16 will be held on Thursday. Potential opponents for Šabac are the third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage – Steaua, Radnički, Jadran from Herceg Novi, and Steaua.

“Regardless of the opponent, tough matches await us, but it is clear that Steaua is the most favorable rival. The other three teams have top aces and medalists from major competitions. We have already faced all three teams this season. We lost to Sabadell 14-9, but that was just the beginning of the season, and we were far from our true form. We defeated Jadran in the Regional League. Radnički beat us twice, and with them, we had a very even match in the Cup quarterfinals, decided only after penalties.

I expect that we can compete on equal terms with each opponent if we give our best.”

Unpredictable Regional League

Šabac faces challenges in addition to European ones in the Regional League and the Serbian Championship. In the Regional League, they are currently sixth, seven points behind the position leading to the Final Four. Radnički and Mladost currently share third and fourth place. There are 13 rounds left until the end

“The first nine rounds of the Regional League indicate that predicting anything is difficult, both because of the demanding schedule mentioned and because the competition is very even. Even the favorites have tough matches. Even Novi Beograd, unbeaten in all competitions, struggled to secure points in several matches. Our primary goal is to achieve the best possible position among Serbian clubs, for the playoffs of our championship.

At this moment, it is important for us that we have a period ahead without tiring and long travels. Our next away match outside Serbia awaits us on January 25. This will give us more time than in previous months to focus on training and improving our form,” Ličanin concluded.